Who knows about lights and DMX

[The Dark Lord]

Anyone able to give me some lighting tips?

We play pubs mainly. Medium and small ones.

We have 4 x QTX SP/SW led lights. We put two on a t-bar behind the drummer plus one stage left, forward of the drummer and behind the bass and guitar player - we daisy chain those three together using one of the in-built programs in the lights themselves. We control these using a QTX footswitch.

We put the fourth one stage right - in front of the mics, to illuminate the players .... just using the amber light on it.

Works well (see pic).

Here's the question! We'd like to add some more lights - but do they need to be the same make to be able to daisy-chain them together.

We are looking at the Chauvet 6 Spot and the LedJ Q Colour as additions.

If anyone could give me tips ..... or point me in the direction of a web resource on the subject (or a very knowledgeable shop person) I'd be grateful.

[bertbass]

I asked here, http://www.blue-room.org.uk/ Very knowledgeable and helpful.

[The Dark Lord]

[quote name='bertbass' timestamp='1368720254' post='2080708']
I asked here, [url="http://www.blue-room.org.uk/"]http://www.blue-room.org.uk/[/url] Very knowledgeable and helpful.
[/quote]
Aha. You are a gentleman and a scholar sir.

[Dad3353]

Good evening, DL...

If you want to continue controlling from the footswitch, any added fx would have to be compatible with it, ie: SmartPAR...

[quote]Can control up to 32 SmartPAR par cans[/quote]

...other than that, I see no problems.

Tips..? Tons, really, but, for me, the first notion to capture is the difference between lighting to see things, and lighting as an effect. The two are not incompatible, but the approach is different. Do you want to 'show off' the drummer, or singer, or do you want an animation which changes with the style of music, for example..? The list is long. The simplest is just to ask the questions (here or elsewhere...).
As with other stuff, though, 'Less is more' is a pretty good baseline, imho...

[gazhowe]

I don't know what capability your QTX foot switch has, however I'm guessing it will only control QTX lights that are daisy chained together via DMX cable.

You can use different brands of lights with one controller, however you need to decide which lights you intend to purchase and also whether you will be running them in 4 or 6 channel DMX mode. This is optional on some lights, such as the LEDJ Q Colours, with 6 channel mode allowing you to use additional features.

I operate the following lighting rig for my band: 2 x LEDJ Q Colours, 6 x LEDJ Slimline 229's, all daisy chained via DMX to a Transcension LED Commander 64 controller. This, like many DMX controllers used by bands and DJ's, uses 'simple DMX' control and is fairly easy to set up and operate (albeit after a bit of trial and error as the instruction manual is rubbish). Many 'simple DMX' controllers operate in 4 channel DMX mode only and will not control lights designed to run in 6, 7 or 8 channel DMX mode, such as my older Slimline 229's, hence I needed to upgrade to this more capable controller.

Incidentally, the LEDJ Q Colours are really good lights. We use one either side on t-bars to provide a stage wash with two Slimline 229's to provide white light for me and the guitarist. We use another two Slimline 229's as uplighters for the drums and the other two as uplighters at the side/rear of the stage area.

I hope you find the above useful.

Regards

Gaz

[Dad3353]

Back from rehearsal; had time to look a bit deeper...

The foot switch commands one or more fx using 4 dmx channels. If you want to add more fx, extending your current dmx chain, the new stuff must be able to respond to 4 channels (the foot switch won't do more...).
Of the 2 you mention, the Chauvet 6 Spot uses 8 channels. You could get it to work, but won't be able to address all the features. Wasted performance, with that foot controller.
The other (LedJ Q Colour...) can be chosen to be 4 or 6 channels, and so could more easily work.
Any other make or fx will do, with a strong preference for 4 channel operation.
Whatever you decide, there will always be a limitation as to what the foot switch is capable of doing. You're not going to be doing the Floyd out of a job using only that. This may be an advantage (keeping things simple is GOOD..!); it just limits the potential for going 'all out' (moving head, led screens, multi-speed strobes et al...).
For your gigs, I wouldn't advise getting too deeply into 'theatrical' fx and stuff. Your present layout, lightly extended, sounds adequate and realistically proportioned.
Hope this helps...

[The Dark Lord]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1368726507' post='2080812']
........ but, for me, the first notion to capture is the difference between lighting to see things, and lighting as an effect. The two are not incompatible ........
[/quote]
This is an interesting point. The main reason we have lights is for the "visual effect" of it really. It makes a big difference, I think, when a band plays with lights. We mostly play in medium to small pubs and clubs in a corner somewhere. Lights give the message that there is a show going on. I always think that bands who play without them look a bit bland. We normally just use a slow rotation colour wash ..... with maybe one of the lights set to sound-to-light mode.

There is an element of "lighting for sight" as well - as we always ask the pub / club if they can turn off the other lights in the "stage area" so that the lights have a better effect. So we do need to make sure that the lights illuminate the scene enough too. But mainly, I'd say, we do it for the visual effect.

[Dad3353]

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1368777836' post='2081281']...mainly, I'd say, we do it for the visual effect.[/quote]

The biggest (single...) difference fo visual fx is smoke, imho. No, I don't mean the tons of billowing fumes from a toxic Tchernobyl, I mean a very light haze. When smoking was 'de rigor' in pubs and clubs, this was provided, free, by the attendees. No more, and an atmosphere with no particles to reflect the light will be poor (a bit like sound in space; if there's no air to transmit, there's no sound...).
You might like to look at the smallest 'haze' machine you can find..? You don't need much to get the effect; look at the TV shows, with all their moving heads and stuff. You don't 'see' the haze, but the beams surely do. That's the amount needed; no more.
This alone will 'bring out' the stage area. Of course, the contrast of having all other house lights dimmed or off is important.
Other than that, your notion of a cyclic 'wash' is good; I approve..!
Hope this helps...

Edited May 17, 2013 by Dad3353

[The Dark Lord]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1368780658' post='2081331']
The biggest (single...) difference fo visual fx is smoke, imho. No, I don't mean the tons of billowing fumes from a toxic Tchernobyl, I mean a very light haze. When smoking was 'de rigor' in pubs and clubs, this was provided, free, by the attendees. No more, and an atmosphere with no particles to reflect the light will be poor (a bit like sound in space; if there's no air to transmit, there's no sound...).
You might like to look at the smallest 'haze' machine you can find..? You don't need much to get the effect; look at the TV shows, with all their moving heads and stuff. You don't 'see' the haze, but the beams surely do. That's the amount needed; no more.
This alone will 'bring out' the stage area. Of course, the contrast of having all other house lights dimmed or off is important.
Other than that, your notion of a cyclic 'wash' is good; I approve..!
Hope this helps...
[/quote]

Mr Dad3353 ...... thank you for all of this. Really helpful stuff. I will now investigate a haze thing (I know the teeniest bit about haze vs smoke etc). I guess I'm gonna pick up one more QTX SP/SW and one of them there LedJ Q Colours (which I might use as a stand-alone for the front illumination.

Is there any worry about setting the fire alarms off though with one of them there haze things ...... or indeed just getting grief from "mine host" asking WTF are you doing making it foggy in here?